To Dream the Impossible
by RedRoseAngel1
Summary: The characters from Buffy, Angel, Charmed, and Roswell all come to Sunnydale to fight a war against evil, but things can go astray. Added Part 4. Please R & R
1. Default Chapter

Title: To Dream the Impossible   
  
Part 1/?  
  
Author: RedRoseAngel  
  
Email: RedRoseAngel85@hotmail.com  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Buffy, Angel,   
  
Roswell or Charmed.  
  
Summary: The characters from Buffy, Angel, Charmed, and Roswell all   
  
come to Sunnydale to fight a war.  
  
Pairing: This is mostly gen. In this part- Willow/Tara. Mentions of   
  
Buffy/Riley, Max/Liz, Michael/Maria, Alex/Isabel  
  
Author's Notes: Takes place after Buffy Season 4, Roswell Season 1,   
  
Charmed Season 3, and Angel Season 1. Spoilers for all those.  
  
Feedback: Yes please! Please tell me if I'm characterizing people   
  
right, or if there are any improvements I need to make.  
  
December 16 2000, Los Angeles Prison   
  
It was time.   
  
Time for the battle to begin.   
  
And Faith wasn't going to let it start while she rotted in jail. The   
  
previous nights, Faith had had some dreams- her Slayer prophetic dreams.   
  
She hadn't had any of those since she started working for the Mayor.   
  
At first she dismissed them as her crazy subconscious talking. But   
  
they continued. Faith knew in her gut that this was real. And she was   
  
ready to fight.   
  
So she broke out.   
  
Screw the parole.   
  
Los Angeles, Hyperion Hotel   
  
Cordelia flounced in, not happy in the least. She had been in the   
  
middle of a rehearsal for her play, when it happened. Another vision   
  
came soaring through her head, leaving her with an awful headache. As   
  
if the Powers that Be couldn't tell she was busy at the moment. She   
  
had to leave rehearsal early, to give Angel the news, and the director   
  
hadn't been happy. Cordy doubted that she would even have her job the   
  
next day. It didn't matter though- she'd have to quit anyway.   
  
She saw Wesley sitting on the couch, reading some book about a demon,   
  
and Angel was drinking some coffee. Good, they were here. "Pack your   
  
bags boys. We're going to Sunnydale."   
  
Roswell, New Mexico   
  
Isabel Evans woke up with a start, not exactly sure what had just   
  
occurred. She had been dreamwalking again- this time it had been Liz,   
  
her dream was as boring as usual- nothing even sexy about Max- but   
  
this time something unusual had happened.   
  
She was in an apartment of some sort. She saw two girls she didn't   
  
recognize; one was blond, the other had red hair. They were sitting on   
  
the floor and doing something. There were herbs, candles, and they were  
  
chanting. To the average eye it looked as though they were casting a   
  
spell. But- did witches actually exist in this day and age? Apparently   
  
so.   
  
Isabel was getting freaked out- she was in some weird place, with two   
  
girls she'd never seen before in her life, and they were casting a   
  
spell. She had no idea how she even got here, it was nothing like   
  
before when she dreamwalked. Then one of them started talking to the   
  
other.   
  
"It's true Tara, can't you see? The prophecy is real!" The red head   
  
seemed distressed, and her eyes were full of worry. Isabel then took a   
  
moment to look around at the scenery that surrounded her. She wished   
  
she hadn't. It was dark, scary, and there were- Isabel couldn't   
  
describe it well - monsters around her. Dark, gruesome faces, huge,   
  
distorted bodies, everything nightmares are made out of . She then   
  
realized what she had been feeling. Death- it was all around her.   
  
Isabel gasped at the next picture around her. There were more people   
  
she didn't recognize, but there were the two girls also in the dream,   
  
and her, as well as Max, Michael, Tess, Liz, Alex, and Maria. They were  
  
in this place. If Isabel hadn't been freaked out before, she certainly   
  
was now.   
  
The girl who was apparently Tara whispered in Willow's ear, "Do you   
  
think they'll all come?"   
  
The red head looked around the room. "The signs say they can gain the   
  
knowledge of the war- all of them, even the ones from Roswell. I hope   
  
they all come, we won't be able to survive without everyone here."   
  
Tara looked at the wall with everyone on it. "Everyone plays a part."   
  
She sighed sadly, seeming worried about something. Isabel was wondering  
  
how they knew that she was from Roswell. Something was very wrong here.  
  
The red head clasped Tara's hand.   
  
"We'll be okay, everyone will come to Sunnydale, we'll fight against   
  
evil, we'll win, and it will all be good." Tara smiled back at her and   
  
squeezed her hand.   
  
"You're so optimistic Willow." She laughed as Willow hugged her and   
  
kissed her forehead. As they pulled back, Tara glanced toward Isabel.   
  
"I can't see you- but I feel your presence," she said quietly, her   
  
eyes looking near Isabel. "If you can hear me, come to Sunnydale,   
  
California. We need your help."   
  
Isabel gasped; she was shocked- what was happening? No one had been   
  
able to feel her before. Was this even real? Was she the one dreaming   
  
here?   
  
Suddenly, there was a big bang, and Isabel woke up. She was trembling-   
  
that she knew that this was real. And they had to go to Sunnydale.   
  
"Max! I need to tell you something!" Isabel called to him.   
  
San Francisco, California   
  
Piper was busy making dinner for her and her sisters before she headed   
  
for P33. So far, there had been no signs of any demons they needed to   
  
she vanquish, so she had plenty of time to plan her and Leo's wedding.   
  
She was so excited. Finally, the Powers that Be were giving her a break.   
  
Maybe she and Leo could squeeze it in before the next big thing   
  
happened. Piper peeled some potatoes and jumped as Leo orbed in,   
  
cutting her thumb. "Leo, what are you doing here?!" She grabbed a   
  
washcloth and wrapped it around her hand. "Not that I'm not happy to   
  
see you or anything." She kissed him softly, then pulled back when she   
  
realized he wasn't smiling or responding. "What's wrong honey?"   
  
Leo grimly replied, "I'm supposed to orb you and your sisters to   
  
Sunnydale, California. It's about to start." He knew Piper would be   
  
upset about this. She was counting on some time off.   
  
Piper was very confused. "What's about to start? Why are we going to   
  
Sunnydale? Where is Sunnydale? Leo, tell me what's going on!"   
  
Leo sighed. "The war."   
  
Piper frowned, not knowing what was going on, but she knew enough to   
  
be disappointed. Looks like she wasn't getting any time off.   
  
On the road from Los Angeles to Sunnydale   
  
Cordelia was speeding, and she hoped she wouldn't get a ticket. First   
  
of all, they didn't have time for a ticket. Secondly, the officer   
  
might wonder why Angel was in the backseat hiding from the sun with a   
  
blanket over his head. And why Wesley had a book with demons on the   
  
cover. Soon after Cordelia had shared her vision Wesley had gotten out   
  
all his books he had saved from the Watchers Council. He was reading   
  
through all of them to try and find some information on the whole   
  
thing. Cordy wasn't looking forward to it at all. She didn't want to   
  
go back to Sunnydale, she was happy in L.A. She had her family there,   
  
Angel, Wesley and Gunn. Angel would be brooding over the whole Buffy   
  
thing, Wesley would be trying to outdo Giles on the ex-Watcher thing,   
  
and she would just be trying to keep her sanity throughout all the   
  
madness.   
  
Gunn had opted not to go, and keep an eye on the demon population back   
  
in LA with his crew. She wished he would've come, she needed someone   
  
to talk or argue with, the silence was driving her up the wall. Wesley   
  
was reading and Angel was hiding, neither one in the mood to chat.   
  
Cordelia sighed and turned up the radio to try and get rid of the   
  
silence. As she suspected, Angel yelled at her to turn it down, he was   
  
trying to sleep. Wesley glared at her, saying he needed to concentrate,   
  
and she turned it down again. More silence.   
  
Cordelia sighed.   
  
Angel and Wesley told her to stop sighing.   
  
****   
  
Faith was hitchhiking her way back to Sunnydale. She knew it was   
  
dangerous However, for her it wasn't. If any guy tried to attack her,   
  
she could break both of his arms and legs. She needed to get back in   
  
shape anyway. Prison life wasn't much for Slayers. Not that she   
  
developed a beer belly, she simply hadn't been able to workout as much   
  
as she'd like. She hoped she would be able to get back into shape once   
  
she reached Sunnydale. She hoped that Buffy wouldn't be too mad at her   
  
and send her straight back to prison, saying they had all the Slayers   
  
they needed. She hoped....   
  
Finally, here came a truck. Maybe he'll be going straight to Sunnydale.   
  
Roswell, New Mexico   
  
"Max, we don't have a choice on this- we have to go." Isabel argued.   
  
She told Max about her dream, and he was reluctant to travel to   
  
Sunnydale, saying it would be too dangerous. Isabel's argument was   
  
that she got the dream for a reason, and they were needed. People's   
  
lives depended on them.   
  
"What'll we tell our parents? We're going off to war?" Max asked. He   
  
knew his parents and everyone else's would have questions. This would   
  
ultimately lead to the alien secret being let out. "This is too   
  
dangerous, Isabel."   
  
"We can tell them that we're going to Sunnydale for our Christmas break  
  
or whatever. School's out, we'll have a couple weeks. And we need to be  
  
there Max! I heard them say that they need everyone, and that means us!"   
  
Isabel said sharply as she crossed her arms and glared at her brother.   
  
Isabel wondered what it would take to get through Max's skull, finally,  
  
they could use their powers for good.   
  
"This'll last longer than of couple weeks, you know that Isabel." Max   
  
tried again weakly. He knew that Isabel was set, she'd keep arguing   
  
until he gave in. Which he could tell he was going to do here pretty   
  
soon.   
  
Isabel shrugged. "So we'll deal with that when we get back. Max, don't   
  
you see how important this is that we're there?" Isabel could tell he   
  
was weakening. If she kept pushing, they could start heading the next   
  
day. "Lives may depend on us being there- do you want to risk an   
  
innocent life?"   
  
Max struggled to argue his last idea. "What if your dream was wrong?   
  
What if else entirely this is just something entirely else?" If this   
  
couldn't convince her, he may as well start packing. All the logic   
  
screamed at him that this was wrong, but he knew in his gut that it   
  
was right. They had to do this.   
  
Isabel smiled. "Then we'll find out when we go to Sunnydale. Worse   
  
case scenario, they laugh at us or whatever. We head back here, and   
  
everything is all and well." She knew that wouldn't happen though, her   
  
dream was real, she knew it. The two girls were counting on them to be   
  
there.   
  
Max sighed. "Michael and Tess have to agree too." He knew they would,   
  
sure they'd argue, but in the end, they were going. Isabel beamed;   
  
she'd won. They were going to Sunnydale. "I'm sure they will." Then   
  
the reality hit her like a hammer over her head. They were going to   
  
Sunnydale. To fight a war.   
  
Sunnydale California, Giles's place   
  
Willow and Tara left their dream that they were able to contact Isabel   
  
with. Willow smiled. "It worked, we did it." She only hoped that Isabel   
  
would believe them, and be able to convince the others that they needed   
  
to come. But it was out of her and Willow's hands now; it depended on   
  
one of the two female aliens.   
  
Earlier before, Willow and Tara had been researching a Dhashas demon,   
  
when Tara stumbled onto a very important page. There it had outlined   
  
the war, showing everyone who would be taking part in it. Willow and   
  
Tara contacted Giles, and from there they had made it their duty to   
  
try and get everyone. They had called Leo, which proved to be very   
  
tricky, and did the dreamwalk spell on Isabel. Giles took the liberty   
  
of using the telephone to call Angel, who informed them Cordy had a   
  
vision about it and they were on their way.   
  
Giles entered the living room with tea for the three of them. They all   
  
took their cups, and Giles took a seat on his chair and relaxed a bit.   
  
"Cordelia called, she, Angel, and Wesley are on their way."   
  
Willow added, "So are Xander and Anya." Tara checked off their names   
  
in the list they had created.   
  
Giles sipped his tea. "So all we need are the Charmed witches, the   
  
Roswell aliens, and Buffy." He looked at Willow. "Did you call her?"   
  
Willow nodded. Buffy was in Iowa with Riley, celebrating Christmas   
  
there. "They hadn't made it back, but his parents told me they'd have   
  
her call." Willow frowned, now was not the good time for Buffy to be   
  
away. But they hadn't known about the war then, and Buffy wanted a   
  
vacation so badly, Giles couldn't refuse her.   
  
Giles sighed and rubbed his forehead. He was getting a headache. There   
  
was so much that needed to be done, and no one had arrived yet.   
  
Just to contradict his thoughts, Leo orbed in with the Charmed sisters.   
  
Giles stood up and walked up to Leo. "I was told you were to bring our   
  
Book."   
  
Leo nodded, and produced a brand new book, with a black cover. "It has   
  
all of your prophecies; all you need to do is translate them." Giles   
  
nodded, and took the book, opening it. He skimmed through, and saw   
  
pictures of everyone. Him, Willow, Tara, Buffy, Xander, Anya, the   
  
Charmed ones, everyone was all there. Unfortunately, he could tell   
  
they all had a separate language.   
  
Leo noticed Giles' frown. "You'll do fine in the translating," he said.   
  
Then he looked up; they were calling him. "I need to go now." He kissed   
  
Piper goodbye. "I'll be back- good luck." Then he orbed away in his   
  
blue light. Willow was impressed by the orbing skills.   
  
Giles glanced up at the Charmed sisters. "You're the Charmed ones, I   
  
presume." They nodded. "I'm Mr. Giles, and this is Willow and Tara,"   
  
he pointed to the two other girls. They all shook hands.   
  
Prue introduced the three of them. "I'm Prue, and this is Phoebe and   
  
Piper." Willow smiled at them. "We're witches too," she said in   
  
comment to her and Tara. Phoebe nodded politely, not sure what to   
  
reply to that. Piper looked around. "So where's everyone else?" How   
  
could they fight a war with no allies?   
  
Giles sighed. "They're on their way." Giles looked around uncomfortably.   
  
"Since we have very experienced spellcasters here, I think we should  
  
start the protection spell, to keep our enemies from entering."   
  
Watcher's Journal   
  
March 31, 2001   
  
Rupert Giles   
  
As we began the spell, I knew it had started. We accepted our challenge  
  
and were ready to fight. It was really going to happen. This wouldn't   
  
be like reading about it, or hypothetically speaking, it was real. And   
  
I was in the thick of it. Everything I was ever trained for was going   
  
to come into play. The war was about to begin. And I was terrified.   
  
Roswell, New Mexico, on the road to Sunnydale   
  
Isabel sat in the back seat, staring out the window, waiting for   
  
something interesting to pop up. No one was speaking. She was alone   
  
with her thoughts, thoughts about the war, her dream, and what may   
  
come to place.   
  
Michael and Tess weren't as easy to convince as she thought. They   
  
didn't believe the whole thing was real, it was the work of someone   
  
trying to get them out of Roswell. She finally used the line she used   
  
on Max, it wouldn't hurt anything if they went, and they'd only be   
  
gone a couple of days. They had reluctantly agreed, and were on their   
  
way.  
  
The problem was Liz, Maria, and Alex. She knew they were supposed to   
  
come, she saw them in their dream. But they didn't have any powers-   
  
how could they protect themselves? Max, Tess and Michael were completely  
  
against them coming too- they couldn't bear to lose their friends and   
  
significant others. But when all was said and done, Liz, Maria, and   
  
Alex wouldn't take no for an answer. Isabel finally interrupted and   
  
told them that if they needed to come, come, but they had to be deadly   
  
careful. Kyle remained behind, saying he'd keep an eye on things in   
  
Roswell, and promised to contact them the minute something alien-  
  
related happened. She really wanted to hit the road, and was eager to   
  
get to Sunnydale.   
  
Now she was regretting it. She couldn't protect all of them- who knows   
  
what they would have to face. She saw some glimpses, but nothing would   
  
be able to fully prepare her for what was to come.   
  
Lost in her thoughts, she vaguely heard a scream. She opened her eyes   
  
and saw a strange man next to Maria. Isabel gasped, sat up straighter,   
  
and glared at him accusingly.   
  
"What the hell! Who are you?!" She demanded to know from the stranger.   
  
Was this one of the first attacks? They hadn't even got to Sunnydale   
  
yet!   
  
"I'm a friend. My name is Leo." He answered. "I'm here to get you to   
  
Sunnydale- I need you to pull over," he told Maria. Leo sighed, he   
  
figured they wouldn't trust him, but they needed to get there as soon   
  
as possible, and the Jeep wasn't going to cut it.   
  
Maria was frantic with worry, and she started babbling. "What? Why? I   
  
don't know you- what's going on, how did you even get in here? What's   
  
happening?" Michael answered her snappily. "Just pull over- if he   
  
pulls anything fishy- we can..." he trailed off, not wanting to reveal   
  
more than he had to. But he knew she could use his powers against him.   
  
Maria warily pulled over, and Max behind her did the same. "Okay what's  
  
going on?" Isabel asked again. She needed to know what this man was   
  
oing, orbing into their vehicles uninvited. By now she had calmed down,   
  
he didn't seem evil, and her intuition told her he wasn't. But that   
  
still didn't explain anything of what he was actually doing for them.   
  
Leo got out, and motioned for us to follow his lead. No one did, and   
  
they watched him warily. He sighed and opened the door. "I'm not going   
  
to hurt anyone, I'm trying to help. I'm just going to get you to   
  
Sunnydale quicker." Well, no one ever said being a whitelighter was   
  
easy.   
  
Michael boldly replied, "Why should we trust you? You somehow get into   
  
Maria's car, then start telling us you're helping us?" He didn't trust   
  
this guy, and he surely didn't want to get to Sunnydale any quicker   
  
than he had to. Something bad was going to happen there, and he wasn't   
  
sure if he wanted to be there.   
  
Leo groaned. This was going to be harder than he thought. "I'm Leo,   
  
I'm a whitelighter, which is like an angel. A good angel. I'm going to   
  
be helping all of you through the war." He continued on, as Isabel   
  
squinted closer. He looked vaguely familiar- he was in her dream. She   
  
smiled, glad she was able to place him.   
  
Isabel broke in. "It's okay- I recognize him." She assured them. She   
  
got out of the car, and waited for the others to follow her lead. Alex   
  
was the first, then one by one, the others did, including those in   
  
Max's Jeep.   
  
Leo smiled, and said they needed to join hands. The minute they all   
  
formed a circle, Leo orbed them to Giles's house. They were all   
  
stunned, nothing like this had ever happened, not even the aliens'   
  
powers were able to do that. The seven looked at each other and Leo   
  
warily. Maria was the first to speak.   
  
"How the heck did you do that?!"   
  
Giles broke into a huge smile. The ones from Roswell were here, which   
  
gave them more allies. Now he only needed Faith, Angel, Cordelia,   
  
Wesley, and Buffy. Maybe this wouldn't go down after all.   
  
Willow smiled kindly at the ones from Roswell. She could see their   
  
evident shock- she knew how they felt. She can still recall when she   
  
first found out vampires existed- and her new friend Buffy was born to   
  
slay them. Then the door opened- was Angel and everyone here?   
  
"Sorry we're late!" Xander walked in happily. No, it was just Xander   
  
and Anya, who looked too happy for their own good. Willow sighed,   
  
knowing that Anya would have a sexual innuendo coming up.   
  
"We were busy having sex. We gave each other lots of orgasms," Anya   
  
added. "Hey who are all these people!" She asked when she saw the   
  
Charmed sisters and the Roswell residents- who looked like they could   
  
faint or hyperventilate or both.   
  
Giles sighed, what a first impression Anya must've made. He turned to   
  
Isabel. "I'm Rupert Giles- you can call me Giles. This is Willow and   
  
Tara-" Isabel nodded in recognition- they were the two from her dream.   
  
She smiled at them, a silent answer telling them that she remembered   
  
them. "And this is Xander and Anya. The three sisters over there are   
  
Prue, Piper, and Phoebe Halliwell."   
  
Isabel nodded; the first to recover. "I'm Isabel, and this is Max,   
  
Michael, Liz, Maria, Tess, and Alex." She introduced everyone. "We   
  
have some questions for you." Boy did they.   
  
Los Angeles- on the road to Sunnydale   
  
Faith saw the "Welcome to Sunnydale" sign. "Stop here," she ordered   
  
the driver. He nodded, and she exited the truck. Here she was. Now   
  
Faith was nervous. What if no one wanted her help? They had the Slayer   
  
they wanted in Buffy. What if they thought she was just trash who had   
  
broken out of prison? What if they believed she didn't change, she'd   
  
never change, and she was against them? She wanted to turn back, go   
  
back to L.A, Boston, Mexico, anywhere but here. That'd be so much   
  
easier than facing her demons again, but she needed to fight, she   
  
couldn't turn her back on this. With a sick feeling in her stomach,   
  
she headed toward Giles'. She really hoped they wouldn't kill her.   
  
***   
  
Cordelia sighed, silence and more silence. There's been nothing but   
  
silence the whole trip over. The whole time, all she could do was   
  
think. Think about the past, her high school days, Xander, Doyle- that   
  
had been a painful memory. She shifted her thoughts to her new friends,   
  
her extended family. Thank god she was now in Sunnydale, to get rid of   
  
all her thoughts. She glanced over and saw a familiar brunette walking.   
  
Faith. She sighed, and remembered her being in the vision. Looks like   
  
Faith's going to be a white hat for this. She pulled over by her.   
  
"Need a ride?"   
  
It was better to ride with an ex-psychopathic maniac homicidal killer   
  
than the silence.   
  
Giles' house   
  
Alex wasn't expecting this. Anything but this. Vampires are real,   
  
demons are real, monsters are real, witches are real and there's 5 of   
  
them in the same room with him. And he's now fighting in a war against   
  
those monsters, and there were not guarantees they would all survive.   
  
What the hell has he gotten himself into? He could tell by the looks   
  
on everyone else's face that they were feeling the same way. Except   
  
Isabel. She looked like she was expecting this, which she probably had   
  
been with her dream.   
  
Willow seemed to understand their disbelief. She smiled at them,   
  
trying to provide some sort of comfort. "I know it's hard to accept at   
  
first, but eventually the shock will wear off." Many sets of   
  
disbelieving faces stared back at her and she shifted uncomfortably.   
  
'Yeah right' thought Alex. But he didn't say anything. Just nodded. He   
  
was afraid to use his voice, in fear of what would come out. Like a   
  
squawk of disbelief or something- now that'd be a good impression.   
  
Almost as good as Anya's orgasm revelation. He blushed at the memory of  
  
it.   
  
"So what about this war- what's our part in it?" Isabel asked. She   
  
could tell her friends were having trouble swallowing the whole idea-   
  
she didn't know what to say to them however. So she turned her focus   
  
to Willow, Tara, and Giles, who seemed to have a pretty good idea what   
  
was going on.   
  
Giles looked up from The Book. "This book has everyone's role in the   
  
war- unfortunately I can't translate any of this as of yet." He showed   
  
them the book- and to all of their surprise- their pictures were in it.  
  
And underneath that was some sort of symbolic kind of thing that gave   
  
them all headaches.   
  
Maria stammered, "I'm in a book- how did I get in this thing? What did   
  
they write about me? Why isn't it in English?" Maria always knew she'd   
  
end up famous, but she expected a biography about her musical career   
  
or something, not in a Book full of prophecies.   
  
Giles shrugged. "We're all in this book- it has our prophecies and our   
  
roles in the war. They wrote about you because you play a role in this-  
  
as we all do." He shook his head. "And it's not in English because it   
  
would be too easy. They never do things the easy way." Bugger that, it   
  
was like their duty to make things more and more complicated.   
  
***   
  
Cordelia pulled up in Giles' driveway. She wondered if everyone was   
  
here, she really hoped so. Things had not improved since picking up   
  
Faith, in fact, it'd gotten worse. Everyone was really tense-   
  
especially Wesley. Faith sat in the back with Angel, and no one said   
  
anything. She knew what was all on their minds though, the memory of   
  
Faith's last visit. Cordelia hoped to God this wasn't an omen of what   
  
was to come.   
  
"Okay we're here. And there will be more people here- it wouldn't hurt   
  
any of you to talk to them. Be friendly or something." Cordelia said   
  
crossly. What could she say? This ride had not been fun at all; she   
  
marched to the door, and opened it for Angel.   
  
Angel threw his coat over his head, and quickly ran to the door, and   
  
ran in, leaving Faith and Wesley behind. The two of them looked at   
  
each other uncomfortably. You could have cut the tension with a knife.   
  
Wesley turned and walked to the door. Faith waited a few minutes and   
  
followed, hoping things wouldn't be as bad as they were in the car.   
  
Maybe she should've stuck with prison.   
  
They were all there.   
  
Watcher's Journal   
  
Rupert Giles   
  
March 31, 2001   
  
So, we have finally all arrived. All but Buffy. She   
  
still hadn't called back, and I was afraid for her. But I put my fear   
  
aside, and decided we should start. They all had to be prepared, none   
  
of them knew what was about to come. What they'll have to face in the   
  
next months. The sacrifices, the losses, we were all blind to the fact   
  
that someone could easily lose their life in the war. We weren't ready.   
  
We weren't trained.   
  
But we will be.   
  
End Entry   
  
End part 1   
  
TBC- so what do you think? 


	2. Questioning Logic

Watchers Journal   
  
Rupert Giles   
  
It appeared I was a bit- hasty in my decision to train them right away.  
  
There were too many unanswered questions- from all groups. We needed   
  
to know our teammates, our allies, and our soon-to-be friends. So we   
  
"talked".   
  
Rupet Giles's living room   
  
The pandemonium. The chaos. The confusion. The bewilderment. All were   
  
present as each group tried to tell their tale. And no one was getting   
  
the other groups. Questions of disbelief hung over, and everyone did   
  
their best to answer them, but these things weren't easy to accept.   
  
"What do you mean vampires exist?"   
  
"Am I supposed to believe you come from another planet?"   
  
"I've lived 1000 years, and I've never heard of any 'Charmed' witches!"   
  
"Don't talk about averting apocalypses, I've had my share!"   
  
"What are you trying to pull- aliens with powers?!"   
  
"One cannot freeze time!"   
  
"Actually-."   
  
"Oh and you mean there's a supergirl around!"   
  
"A Slayer, and yes, there's two!"   
  
"Okay, this is all a bunch of sh-"   
  
"I've had enough!"   
  
"QUIET!" roared Giles, getting on his wits end with everyone asking   
  
questions at the same time. Everyone looked at him, shocked into   
  
silence at seeing the mild-mannered man blow up like that. Giles stood   
  
up, taking charge of the situation. "Now that I have your attention-   
  
we need to focus. I know our tales may seem- unbelievable, fairy-tale   
  
like. It may appear that way for a while, but we have to join together,  
  
and fight this bloody war!" He sat back down, a bit calmer now that he   
  
had yelled. "Now, if anyone has any questions, please, ask it calmly   
  
and one at a time."  
  
"I have a few questions on this whole 'war' idea." Prue interjected.   
  
"I mean, did someone actually declare war? Who are we fighting against?   
  
Some demon? What goes, and what doesn't, I need details about this. You   
  
can't just bring us here, and expect us to fight a war when we don't   
  
even know what we're fighting for, and who we're fighting against."   
  
The others nodded their agreement, glad someone had finally brought up   
  
all of their questions regarding the war.   
  
Giles was frustrated, this was not an easy thing to explain. He   
  
thought for a moment, staring at the wall, trying to think of the best   
  
thing to say. "This war has been prophesied for hundreds of centuries   
  
now." He tried to explain. But of course that didn't go over well with   
  
anyone.   
  
"And that's supposed to answer things? Oh hey, things were prophesied   
  
so we do them," Prue replied sarcastically. "I want real answers, and   
  
if you don't have them, I want someone who does." Maybe Leo could orb   
  
back and try to explain things, because Giles wasn't doing well yet.   
  
"I do have some answers- I can't answer everything, that'd be   
  
impossible. In the present time, both sides of good and evil have   
  
extremely strong forces, stronger than it has ever been. Our Slayers,   
  
the Charmed Ones, the Royal Four, and everyone else here- we're the   
  
forces that the dark side has been dealing with for the past few years.   
  
And there's more on their side, that will prove to be rather, er,   
  
difficult for us to face. The purpose of this war is to eliminate one   
  
of the opposing forces." Giles tried to explain.   
  
"But what if what's the whole point of calling it- a war?" Cordelia   
  
asked, having trouble swallowing the image of wars she's seen before.   
  
"It seems so- brutal." She had seen all the war movies, and they were   
  
not pretty. They could call it a fight or something just as easily.   
  
"Because it is a war. One side will lose. The other will win." Giles   
  
stood up, hoping that the side that wins would be them. Otherwise,   
  
they had all just jumped into a death trap. But he did not want to   
  
think about losing now. They would simply have to win. "Any more   
  
questions?"   
  
Michael half way raised his hand before glancing at Isabel. "Yeah,   
  
what if we choose to blow this whole thing off? What'll happen?" He   
  
prepared himself for the shots- how could he possibly want to leave in   
  
the midst of this whole crisis, yada yada?   
  
Giles looked terrified. He was about to have a heart attack, they   
  
could not afford to lose anyone- everyone was needed. If Michael   
  
decided to leave, he didn't want to know what would happen. "We can't   
  
survive- we need all of you here." He only hoped that it would go   
  
through his head.   
  
Michael shook his head. "No, I mean all of us. Like you, me, them, all   
  
of us. What'll change? Evil will still be around." He looked around,   
  
wondering if anyone else saw his logic in this- winning this war  
  
wouldn't get rid of all the evil things in the universe.   
  
"We can't beat these particular enemies alone, we've all been called   
  
here to defeat them, once and for all as a team." Giles nodded. He   
  
understood what Michael was saying, sometimes he's had the same   
  
thoughts, but you just had to keep on fighting. "Now- are we ready to   
  
start training?"   
  
"Hold on," interjected Michael. "We haven't decided if we want to   
  
fight."   
  
"What!" exclaimed Isabel, staring at him in disbelief. What the hell   
  
was Michael thinking- oh that's right- he wasn't. "Of course we-"   
  
"You do. We know that," Michael broke in. "But I think we should all   
  
discuss this." Meaning him and the rest of the people from Roswell. As   
  
of now, they had been pretty quiet throughout the whole speech, and   
  
Michael had decided to speak for them. If they wanted to leave, they   
  
were going to. Personally, he would rather go home. He wasn't   
  
comfortable with all these people knowing his secret, and this whole  
  
"war" sounded dangerous. He didn't want anyone- particularly Maria-   
  
to get hurt.  
  
Giles looked shell shocked. How could he want to leave, to put the   
  
universe at stake. "Have you heard nothing I said!" Michael just   
  
arched an eyebrow at him, and crossed his arms stubbornly.   
  
Max nodded. "We'll be outside." He said, not wanting a fight to start   
  
between them.   
  
Watchers Journal   
  
Rupert Giles   
  
With those words, I nearly had a heart attack. Or a stroke. Or both.   
  
They had to fight, it was absolutely crucial that they stayed. I could   
  
only hope and pray that they decided to stay. After all- one couldn't   
  
literally force them to stay and fight? Or could we?   
  
Outside Giles's house   
  
"Michael, I can't even believe you'd suggest not fighting! People will   
  
get hurt, die, and the world may even end if we don't!" Isabel was   
  
appalled, she was completely not expecting anyone to object to   
  
fighting. This was just so like Michael- he always had to go against   
  
the crowd, and take his own viewpoint when he was clearly wrong.   
  
"And if we do, then we'll get hurt, possibly die. Vampires? Witches?   
  
Those are a bit out of our league here- we don't even know if we can   
  
trust these people. I say we go back, and wish them the best." Michael   
  
stated his opinion clearly.   
  
"Do you even hear what I'm saying? People will die, those brave enough   
  
to stay and fight instead of taking the coward's way out!"   
  
"And do you hear me? We're out of our league on this- I'm looking for   
  
our own best interests!"   
  
Before punches were thrown, Max interjected, "Why don't we vote.   
  
Majority rules, no arguments afterwards. Agreed?" He looked at both   
  
Michael and Isabel, waiting for their promise.   
  
Isabel nodded, "Fine. No arguing."   
  
Michael shrugged, "Whatever."   
  
Isabel looked around. "So who's all for staying?" She immediately   
  
raised her hand, followed by Alex and soon after, Liz. Then Max   
  
tentatively rose his hand, then Maria threw a pained look at Michael,   
  
she rose hers.   
  
Michael said, "Who's for leaving?" He raised his hand, and Tess   
  
followed his lead. At least he had someone on his side, not that it   
  
mattered anymore.   
  
Isabel looked straight at Michael and replied, "Five to two. We're   
  
staying." Max glanced at Michael to see if he'd raise an argument, but   
  
surprisingly, he nodded and started back for the apartment. Maria   
  
looked at him apologetically, feeling bad for not taking his side. But   
  
she knew this was the right thing to do.   
  
Watcher's Journal   
  
Rupert Giles   
  
So the Roswell group had voted to stay. Bad for Michael, good for the   
  
rest of the world. There have only been a few times when I've been   
  
more relieved. So, finally, maybe we'd be ready to fight. We'd have to   
  
be ready soon Katherine, our first enemy, would be coming. But first,   
  
a very different one.   
  
End Part 2 


	3. Encountering Deraina

Giles's place   
  
As everyone began settling in, Piper started cooking dinner for   
  
everyone. It was difficult, Giles had limited supplies, and there were   
  
many people. They didn't all like the same thing, which made for some   
  
arguments when Piper finally told all of them she was making spaghetti   
  
and meatballs. If anyone didn't like it, they could make something   
  
for themselves. The groceries were about to run out, but she was   
  
making do; however, they'd have to go grocery shopping here soon.   
  
The room situation was even worse. Giles had a nice place, true, but   
  
he did not have a nice place for about 20 different people. There were   
  
people crowded in the bedrooms, pillows and blankets sprawled out   
  
everywhere, and absolutely no room to breathe. They were all seriously   
  
considering relocating, but for the moment, according to Leo, the   
  
Powers that Be wanted them to stay there, for they already had the   
  
protection spell with them, it was safer that way.   
  
Cordelia was asleep- it was her way of escaping the chaos around her.   
  
It had been a long drive down, and she was wore out. She was sick of   
  
everyone arguing and just wanted to relax. Rather than going to her   
  
bedroom which she shared with 5 other girls, she slept on the living   
  
room floor. Luckily, she was a heavy sleeper, and the noise about her   
  
did not bother her one bit. She snuggled against her pillow and blanket   
  
on the hard floor, finally drifting off.   
  
Now, as she slept, she drifted off into her dream-like state. There   
  
she encountered a new face, someone she didn't even recognize. She   
  
wondered if this was another one of her Academy Award winning dreams,   
  
where someone she didn't know handed her the Oscar. It didn't cross   
  
her mind to wonder why she was thinking so much in her dreams.  
  
"Hello Cordelia," Deraina whispered to her softly. She was finally   
  
able to get in touch with her. She thought Cordelia would never go to   
  
sleep. Deraina looked casually around the dream, which she had set up   
  
herself. It was dark, kind of gloomy, and hazy. There were no immediate  
  
threats around, so that'd hopefully keep her from getting too scared.   
  
She wanted the mood to be set absolutely right- Cordelia was to be   
  
afraid of her, but not too fearful.  
  
"Who are you?" Cordelia looked bewildered. "Where am I? What's going   
  
on?" This was obviously not the Academy Awards, and Cordelia was ready   
  
to switch dreams. Who was this woman that was talking to her? She   
  
wasn't anyone that Cordelia knew.   
  
Deraina walked towards her slowly. "You're having a dream. But do not   
  
doubt the reality of this- it's all very real. And I can prove it."   
  
She picked up a knife of hers, quickly took Cordelia's hand before she   
  
had time to protest and it, enough to draw blood, but not enough to do   
  
any severe damage.   
  
Cordelia pulled her hand away. "What the hell do you think you're   
  
doing! Don't attack me! I'm waking up now!" She tried to wake up by   
  
pinching herself, but unfortunately, it didn't work. This was very   
  
different than any of her other dreams. For one thing, she felt very  
  
conscious.  
  
Deraina smiled calmly at the brunette. "You can't wake up, I have   
  
enough pull on you. Now be a good girl, sit down and we'll chat, then   
  
I'll let you wake up." This wasn't that difficult, why couldn't   
  
Cordelia just cooperate for once in her life.   
  
Cordelia glared at her and backed up a few steps, looking for a door   
  
or some place out. "How about you let me go, and your death will be   
  
quick," she threatened. She knew once she told Angel all about this,  
  
he'd go and kick her ass.   
  
Deraina chuckled. "You can't lay a finger on me." Her eyes hardened,   
  
and she looked more menacing. "Now sit." Cordelia sat reluctantly at   
  
the chair that had appeared by them. But only because her feet were   
  
hurting, not because she was afraid of this person. She looked up at   
  
Deraina and wondered what she had gotten herself into. She didn't know   
  
what Deraina was, she looked human and all, but it could be a cover.   
  
It had to be, of course, it was the dream thing- no human could do   
  
this. She was unnaturally beautiful, no human could look like that.   
  
She had long dark hair, dark eyes and creamy skin. She was tall, and   
  
had a nice body to go with it. But yet, there was something almost   
  
demonic about her. She wasn't human. Who the hell was this woman?   
  
Cordelia hated her already.   
  
Deraina smiled, enjoying the other girls confusion. She pulled up   
  
another chair from out of thin air and sat across from Cordelia.   
  
Deraina was ready for this. She had waited a long time for this war.   
  
"I am Deraina. And I've come to recruit you to my side."   
  
**   
  
Liz sat in a guest bedroom, talking to Maria and Alex about their new   
  
deal, with the housing, the war, and everything else.   
  
"I don't see why I have to share a bedroom with like 5 other guys,"   
  
complained Alex. "Wait, make that strangers!" He, Xander, Angel,   
  
Wesley, and Michael were all sharing a room, and it was not fun. There   
  
was only one bed, which Xander immediately claimed, and the other four   
  
had worked at trying to get their own little spot on the floor.   
  
Maria snorted. "Please, you have it easy." Guys didn't have all the   
  
necessities, such as make up, hair supplies, clothes, and shoes that   
  
girls needed to have. The room she was sharing was already full. She   
  
looked at Liz. "Think about what our bathroom situation is going to be   
  
like in the morning.." Maria regretted saying that, she didn't want to   
  
think about that- it was going to be horrible.   
  
"Oh no," groaned Liz, trying to push the topic from her mind. "But- we   
  
did vote to stay here, so I guess we shouldn't be complaining." She   
  
wondered if Maria felt bad voting against Michael. She hadn't really   
  
talked about it much.   
  
"No no no. I voted to stay and fight the good fight or whatever. I did   
  
not vote to share a room with about 20 different people!" Maria   
  
exclaimed. Of course Liz would go the noble route, and try to see a   
  
good side. "I mean, couldn't we separate, have us go to a hotel or   
  
something?"   
  
Liz shrugged. "Apparently the 'Powers that Be' want us all to stay   
  
together, and train or something. Giles said we'd talk about   
  
relocating later." Hopefully it would be sooner, rather than later.  
  
Alex sighed, looking out the door from the room. "This is just too   
  
much you know?"   
  
**   
  
Cordelia laughed in the face of the demon. "You want me join your   
  
side. Are you out of your mind?" This had to be a dream, no one in   
  
their right mind would try to get Cordelia to go evil, because they   
  
knew she wouldn't. She was quite content on her side, thank you very   
  
much.   
  
Deraina looked down at her, amused. Not many had the guts to turn her   
  
down, and no one had ever laughed about it. Or said she was out of her   
  
mind. This was a different girl indeed, this seer.   
  
"It's not so strange- many want the seers. What I'm offering to you   
  
however, will outdo whatever 'team' you're on right now." Deraina went   
  
into her bribe mode, it would get anyone. And the seer would   
  
definitely fall for it- she had been spoiled as a girl, and she could   
  
be spoiled now, if she'd just let Deraina do it.  
  
Cordelia met her eyes evenly, not looking the least bit afraid. "So   
  
what are you offering me?" Not that it mattered, Cordelia just wanted   
  
something else to laugh about. She could tell Angel and Wesley later,   
  
they'd enjoy the tale.   
  
Deraina laughed, though not breaking eye contact with Cordelia. "The   
  
world."   
  
**   
  
Michael sat on the kitchen counter, brooding over the day's events. He   
  
didn't want to be here, and now he was stuck in a room full of- freaky   
  
people. Or witches, vampires, ex-demons, whatever they were. He   
  
sighed, wondering what he had done to deserve all of this.   
  
Faith sauntered in, jumping on the counter sitting next to him. "Why   
  
so down Mikey?" As long as she was here, she may as well have a bit of   
  
fun. She scooted closer to him, wondering if he had a girlfriend or   
  
not.  
  
Michael looked away, feeling uncomfortable with her closeness. "No   
  
reason," he muttered, opting not to tell her not to call him Mikey.   
  
Faith continued talking, despite his subtle brush off. "I'm going to   
  
patrol tonight." She rested her hand on his thigh. "Patrolling usually   
  
leaves me......" She smiled and squeezed his thigh.   
  
Michael jumped off the counter after the contact. "I'm with Maria," he   
  
blushed, not used to having someone come on to him like that. There's   
  
no reason why they shouldn't, but Michael was always the   
  
unapproachable one.   
  
Faith smiled, so he did have a girlfriend. "Hey that's cool. Your   
  
loss, but cool." She hopped off the counter and left the room smiling.   
  
That had been fun. It'd been a while since she could toy with a guy's   
  
mind like that, considering she had been in a women's prison. She had   
  
a lot of time to make up for.  
  
***   
  
Cordy sighed insincerely, not impressed by Deraina's offer of the   
  
world at all. "Tempting, the world is, but no. I'm stationed here with   
  
Angel. Now, let me go." What did it take to get through this Deraina's   
  
head that she wasn't interested in whatever she was offering.   
  
Deraina's eyes flashed angrily. "What are you afraid of Cordelia?" Now   
  
she could try the cowardice approach.   
  
Cordelia rolled her eyes. "The whole going against my friends part,   
  
especially when I know who's going to win this whole war thing."   
  
Cordelia smirked proudly, knowing her friends would kick this person's   
  
ass. She'd never come up against them, and now with all these new   
  
people, Cordelia was confident that they were going to be doing some   
  
major victory laps.   
  
Deraina smirked; the seer was almost innocent, like a child who   
  
believed that the good guys always win and the bad guys always lose.   
  
"It hasn't been recorded or prophesied yet. The outcome is unknown,   
  
even to them." She could sense Cordelia's confidence in her team, it   
  
was sort of sweet, if you looked at it from another perspective.   
  
Cordelia shrugged, Deraina's words going in one ear and out the other.   
  
"Well I know. So good luck working all by your self. Now send me back."  
  
She crossed her arms and glared at Deraina. She has had enough dealing   
  
with her games.   
  
Deraina let out an evil laugh, different than before. Before, she had   
  
been almost jovial- now she was frightening. "Fine then." Cordelia   
  
heard lightning in the distance, and wondered how it could storm in a   
  
dream. Suddenly she was struck, but it didn't hurt. She woke up   
  
screaming.   
  
Angel heard her scream and rushed over to her, his eyes scanning her   
  
for any injury. "Cordelia! What happened to you!" Her knelt next to   
  
her bruised body, and her hand was bleeding. How could this happen to   
  
his best friend? "Are you okay?"   
  
Cordelia groaned as she tried to sit up. "Despite the tremendous   
  
amount of pain, yeah I'm great." She fell back, the pain in traveling   
  
through her whole body. Angel picked her up, and helped her to the   
  
couch, where she laid down. Angel went to get some first aid to help   
  
her out from her wounds. He wondered how she could possibly be   
  
affected by that, she had been laying there asleep. No one had come   
  
in to hurt her, they simply couldn't.  
  
As Angel was getting the first aid kit, Giles walked in to see what   
  
was going on. "Cordelia! What happened!" He ran over to the couch by   
  
her, shocked by her appearance. He feared that she was the first   
  
victim of war.   
  
Cordelia groaned. "I was struck by lightning. In my sleep." Now that   
  
she said it out loud, she knew how crazy it sounded. She wouldn't have  
  
believed it herself had she not felt the pain that was now visible to   
  
her. Angel returned with the first aid and tended to her hand wound.   
  
Giles pulled up a chair next to her. "Now Cordelia, I know you're in   
  
pain, but could you try to tell me what happened? Who did this to you?"   
  
"Ow!" Cordelia exclaimed as Angel used the peroxide to kill the germs   
  
on her hand. "That hurts Angel!" She turned back to Giles, who was   
  
always business first, health later. "Um- it was some woman- she said   
  
her name was Deraina."   
  
"Deraina.." Giles racked through his brain trying to see if he could   
  
place her. "Was she a demon, human, what?"   
  
Cordelia frowned, trying to remember. Things had gotten a bit fuzzy   
  
since her dream. "She looked human, that I remember, but I got an   
  
inhuman-like vibe from her. She was trying to recruit me to her team."   
  
Giles was writing all of this on his notepad. "Did she say why? Your   
  
visions?" He knew that the seeing power was priceless, it was very   
  
popular among the demonic world. Especially if they came from the   
  
powers that be.  
  
"Yeah, I think that was it. I don't know Giles, Deraina kind of   
  
freaked me out. But I told her no way on the whole recruitment." Angel   
  
smiled sweetly at her, happy that she said no. Of course she would,   
  
Angel trusted her with his life.   
  
Anya looked up from the television. "You encountered Deraina?" All   
  
eyes turned to her in disbelief.   
  
"You've heard of her?" Max questioned. He wondered how Anya could've,   
  
when he'd never heard of any person of the sort. It looked like even   
  
Giles didn't know who Cordy was talking about.   
  
"Pssyeah! I am 1000 years old, duh," Anya smiled. "She was pretty   
  
cool, we had a drink together once." She smiled at the memory, then   
  
looked at everyone around her. They were still watching her, waiting   
  
for her to say something. "What?! I was a demon back then, I could   
  
hang out with many different kinds of people! We weren't prejudiced   
  
that way." Anya finished with, feeling indignant.   
  
"I was actually wondering if you could explain more about Deraina,"   
  
Giles stated calmly, hoping Anya could tell them something that would   
  
help in the future.   
  
"Oh," said Anya, thinking back to what she knew about Deraina. She   
  
paused for a second before saying, "Well, let me think. She's not   
  
really evil, if you're worried about that. She'll remain neutral,   
  
unless someone really pisses her off."   
  
"But look what she did to Cordelia! You can't say she's good by that!"   
  
Wesley exclaimed, surprised by what Anya thought of her. How could   
  
Anya sit there and say she wasn't evil!   
  
"Child's play," Anya grinned, her mind slipping again into an act of   
  
vengeance she played against this man. A woman had wished that every   
  
time her husband got an erection, or even just a little aroused, while   
  
looking at another woman, he'd be struck by lightning. From what Anya   
  
heard, it had been a lot.   
  
"Tell that to my lightning struck body," muttered Cordelia. She hated   
  
it when she was the victim of some demon's fun and games, which was   
  
why she was against vengeance demons.   
  
Willow stood up suddenly, having enough of Cordelia's pain. Maybe she   
  
could do something constructive for the group. "I'm going to see if I   
  
can decipher any of the book- Tara want to help me?" Tara nodded and   
  
the two of them left the room and went to the book.   
  
"While you two do that, I'm going to research more on this Deraina   
  
character," Wesley stood up and walked over to the bookcase, picking   
  
out a book to study. "If she does prove to be a threat, we'll need to   
  
know more about her."   
  
Faith stood up. "I'll be outside training- Angel want to join?" She   
  
watched the dark haired vampire, hoping that he would. He was one of   
  
the few people who didn't hate her and actually understood her. He   
  
could also take her punches- she would never have to hold back.  
  
He looked at Cordy, his eyes full of concern. "You'll be okay?"   
  
Cordy rolled her eyes; she didn't need a baby-sitter. She doubted   
  
she'd go back to sleep though "I'm fine, go kick and punch each other.   
  
Better you than someone she could really hurt."   
  
Liz stood there and watched as everyone seemed to be going off to   
  
research or train- and she didn't want to know what Xander and Anya   
  
left the room to go do. She whispered to Maria, who was watching TV   
  
with Michael. "I feel like we should be doing something."   
  
"Yeah, sure, whatever- no way! They can't do that!" Maria exclaimed to   
  
the TV. Liz shook her head. Apparently Maria wasn't listening to her.   
  
She walked over to Giles. "Mr. Giles is there anything you need me to   
  
do?"   
  
He smiled and said, "Call me Giles. Everyone else does. And you can-"   
  
his voice broke off as the doorbell rang. "Who could that be?" He   
  
frowned, imagining the possibilities. Everyone had arrived, hadn't   
  
they? Then- who was there? It wasn't like he had gotten visitors, and   
  
it couldn't be Buffy. Besides she wouldn't knock.   
  
Willow interrupted his thoughts. "I'll get it," she said cheerfully as   
  
she walked over to the door.   
  
"Be careful!" Giles called out too late, for Willow had already opened   
  
the door to reveal some girl he had never seen before.   
  
Willow bit her lip. "Um- hi." She wondered what this girl was doing   
  
here, maybe she was selling something? It didn't cross her mind that   
  
this could be someone evil.  
  
Deraina smiled inwardly at the girl's confusion, as she tried to read   
  
into her memories. Aha- there. This would be too easy. She slid her   
  
frightened face on as she said, "You have to help me- some guy- he   
  
tried to kill me!"   
  
Willow frowned as she looked into the distance behind Deraina. "I   
  
don't see anyone- who do you think is after you?" Ix-nay on the   
  
selling, which was too bad, because that would be so much easier to   
  
deal with.   
  
Deraina shook her head. "I don't know- I think I lost him. He's short,   
  
he had reddish hair, pretty normal guy- like. But something made him   
  
mad- and he transformed! Into this werewolf-like thing! You don't   
  
think I'm crazy do you? I know what I saw!"   
  
Willow's jaw dropped. Was this girl referring to Oz? But it took a lot   
  
for Oz to change, he wouldn't get mad over just something? Would he?   
  
What was going on? Was Oz still on the loose as a wolf? Willow rubbed  
  
her forehead as a headache formed. "Hold on, I'll try and straighten   
  
this out. Wait here, I'll be out in a sec." Willow went to find   
  
Giles's tranquilizer.   
  
"Willow? Where are you going?" Giles asked when he saw Willow with his   
  
tranquilizer. He hoped Tara hadn't made her mad or something.   
  
Willow sighed. "Something's wrong with Oz- I need to go find him."   
  
Giles looked shocked at the mention of Oz, last he had heard he left   
  
town again. What could be possibly be doing back?   
  
"Do you need some assistance?"   
  
"No, no, I think it'll be all right." Willow walked toward the door.   
  
She didn't want Oz to get anymore hurt than he had to. It was best if   
  
everyone just thought that everything was okay. Besides, he hated it   
  
when people saw him as the wolf. "Ok, sorry about that. I'm ready."   
  
She hoped the girl wouldn't get freaked out about the fact she had a   
  
tranquilizer.   
  
Deraina smiled as Willow walked out of the door, and pulled it shut.   
  
With extraordinary quickness, she grabbed Willow and knocked the   
  
tranquilizer out of her hands. Before Willow had time to register what   
  
was going on, let alone scream, Deraina's hand covered her mouth and   
  
led her over behind a tree.   
  
"We can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way," Deraina   
  
whispered in her ear. "Now, why don't you be a doll and tell me all   
  
about your team. And don't even think about screaming, you'll be dead   
  
before your friends even hear you." Deraina slowly removed her hand   
  
from Willow's mouth, waiting for the scream. When it didn't come,   
  
Deraina smiled. "Good girl. Now tell me everything you know." Deraina   
  
needed the information, and she didn't feel like looking it up. She   
  
needed to know what was going to be dealt with, the strengths and   
  
weaknesses. What sort of powers they had, etc.   
  
Willow shook her head vehemently. She wished she could scream, her   
  
throat muscles were clamped and ready, but no sound would come out.   
  
Her legs refused to move, it was as if they turned to jelly. Her whole   
  
body disobeyed every command her brain sent out, and she was scared.   
  
Deraina sighed. "Figures you'd want to do this the hard way." No one   
  
ever cooperated anymore. She somehow was able to transform some weird   
  
looking knife into her hand. Willow's eyes widen, but she kept her   
  
mouth shut. She couldn't betray her friends. "One last chance to make   
  
this easy.." She shook her head as Willow said nothing.   
  
"Fine then, don't say I didn't warn you." With supernatural strength,   
  
she pushed Willow to the ground, so that she was laying on her   
  
stomach. She ripped Willow's shirt so that her bare shoulder blade was   
  
exposed. She got down and straddled Willow, holding her down as she   
  
took her knife, and gently cut the skin. Willow struggled with all her   
  
energy to break free, but Deraina would just press harder against her.   
  
Willow whimpered in pain and silently apologized to Tara as Deraina   
  
carved a symbol onto her shoulder blade. Deraina smiled as she admired   
  
her work. "You will now be my eyes and ears in your world," she said   
  
as she knocked Willow out. "And it has begun."   
  
End Part 3 


	4. Tricks

Author's Notes: Please send feedback! Tell me what you think, it really  
  
helps motivate me.   
  
They were a vision.   
  
Dark and light.   
  
Evil and insane.   
  
A double dose of trouble.   
  
If you were unfortunate enough to run into them- well, they might make   
  
it quick.   
  
If you're not naughty.   
  
Katherine sighed as she looked at her two new cohorts.   
  
Giles' place   
  
Angel and Faith ran inside Giles's house, carrying Willow. They had   
  
been on their way back inside from training, when they saw her lying  
  
on the ground. Their first instinct was that she was dead, which   
  
scared both of them tremendously. When Faith discovered that she did   
  
indeed have a pulse, they rushed her inside to get her some medical   
  
help. Or at least, Giles's first aid kit.   
  
Tara was the first to see them, gasping as she saw Willow. She ran   
  
over to them, tears welling up in her eyes. "What happened to her?!"   
  
She cried out, as she grabbed Willow's hand. She felt very distraught   
  
and upset at seeing her love hurt. She didn't know who did this to   
  
her, but she was ready to get some fiery revenge. Nobody hurt her   
  
Willow.  
  
Faith shrugged, appearing less concerned than she actually was. "We   
  
found her like this, she's alive though." Faith laid her down on the   
  
couch and went to go get the first aid kit. Faith knew she wasn't very   
  
comforting to people, so she let Angel handle the job.  
  
Angel looked at Tara, his heart breaking for her, knowing how it felt   
  
to see a loved one hurt. His mind turned immediately to Buffy, and he   
  
tried to push the gnawing sensation of worry that always overcame when   
  
he thought of her. "I'm sure she'll be okay." He too wasn't one for   
  
the right things to say, and hoped Faith would hurry with the first   
  
aid kit. By now, the others were gathering around them, and Angel   
  
felt relieved. He slipped back into the shadows, as the others   
  
circled around Willow.   
  
Xander knelt next to his best friend looking over her body to find out   
  
exactly what had happened to her. "Her shirt was torn- there could've   
  
been a fight." He couldn't believe anyone would do this to her- Willow   
  
was his best friend in the world, and he was very angry at the culprit.  
  
  
  
Anya snorted unsympathetically. "Duh Xander, of course there was a   
  
fight. Did you think she just ran into a tree?" She ignored all the   
  
glares that shot her way and wondered if she always had to be the   
  
voice of reason. Those who knew Anya best chose to ignore her   
  
comments, and those who didn't know her were too shy to speak up, and   
  
just looked at Willow, wondering what could've happened to her.  
  
Deraina's lair   
  
Deraina sat down in her private room, in the house that she owned.   
  
She was the only one that would ever be able to see the room, she   
  
bewitched it so that others would never be able to see, even if they   
  
were standing right next to it. In it were various amounts of   
  
potions, dark magical tools, and a huge map of the world, that would   
  
point out anyone within this dimension. Next to the map was an oval   
  
mirror, gold around the edges, without a smudge in sight. She used   
  
the map to locate Willow, who's face appeared on the mirror.. Her   
  
mirror not only allowed her to see one's she has marked, but also to   
  
allow her to communicate with them.   
  
"Wake up Willow," she whispered softly. "Wake up, and we'll discuss   
  
what's next."   
  
Giles's place   
  
Willow blinked, as she slowly woke up, the world coming into focus.   
  
Okay, she had to remember what happened. Something about Oz- then- she   
  
must've hit something. "That girl," murmured Willow, looking around at   
  
the people around her. She hoped she was okay, and that Oz had gone   
  
back to normal. "Where'd she go?"   
  
Tara knelt next to her, and clasped her hand. "The girl you were   
  
with?" She knew it wasn't like that, but she heard her mention Oz- and   
  
Oz always made Tara uncomfortable, no matter how much Willow had   
  
assured her it was over.   
  
Willow rubbed her head, and winced; she felt a major headache coming   
  
on, which usually happened after one is knocked unconscious. She   
  
struggled to sit up, and looked Tara in the eye, worried that she   
  
didn't remember what was going on. "Yeah- what happened- I don't   
  
remember." Willow looked like she was under a lot of distress, trying   
  
to recall all that happened.   
  
"Angel and Faith found you outside by the tree- you were knocked out."   
  
Tara whispered. "Can you remember anything at all? What's the last   
  
thing you remember?" She was trying not to push Willow, but she knew   
  
they needed answers.   
  
Willow frowned and squinted her eyes. "I was- some girl- said   
  
something about Oz. I needed to straighten things out- and that's it."   
  
Things were becoming a little clearer now, she just needed to   
  
concentrate. She took a couple of deep breaths and tried to focus on   
  
remembering what happened, but her mind produced only blank spots.   
  
She let out a groan of frustration.  
  
Tara smiled gently at her. "It's okay if you don't remember- we'll   
  
just try and find the girl to see what happened." She knew that she   
  
didn't trust this girl, something fishy was up about her. Tara fully   
  
intended to find out what it was.   
  
Anya snorted- either the girl was lying or she was werewolf food.   
  
They'd never see her again either way "Good luck with that!"   
  
Deraina's lair   
  
Deraina chuckled as she saw Anyanka, recognizing her as the vengeance   
  
demon who focused her attacks of vengeance on men. "Who would've   
  
thought? Anyanka helping them." She shook her head, greatly amused by   
  
what she saw. "Well, Willow, let's test this out. Why don't you   
  
attack, but not kill Anyanka, saying how she's evil and all." She   
  
smiled, and sat back to watch what'll happen.   
  
Anyanka- who would've thought?   
  
Giles's place   
  
Willow sat up suddenly, her eyes glazed over, ignoring Tara's protests   
  
of how she should take it easy. She had one thing on her mind. Attack   
  
Anyanka. She walked toward her, her fists balled up, ready to attack.   
  
She could vaguely hear shouts of protests in the background, but she   
  
could only see one thing. Anyanka. She was evil, and she would hurt   
  
Xander. Her best buddy Xander- she couldn't let that happen.  
  
Anya could see Willow advancing toward her, and she wondered what was   
  
going on. "What are you doing!" she squeaked. She didn't like the look   
  
on Willow's face- it was purely animalistic. She couldn't see any   
  
traces of Willow's humanity inside. This wasn't her doing- not this   
  
time.   
  
Willow jumped and tackled Anya, pinning her to the ground. She punched   
  
Anya repeatedly, wondering how she obtained this extra strength.   
  
Normally she wouldn't be able to do much damage at all, not without   
  
magic, but now- it was brutal...   
  
Anya was getting bruised and bloody as she tried to push the Wiccan   
  
off her. She didn't like it at all. She kept screaming at Willow to   
  
stop, but Willow didn't seem to be able to hear her. She wondered if   
  
this was spell that backfired. If it was, it was typical, Willow   
  
always did mess up at magic. Anya cried out for help again as Willow   
  
punched her in the nose, causing it to break. Finally Xander ran in   
  
and tried to get Willow off her. But the red head proved to be too   
  
strong for him, so Angel joined in the attempt.   
  
Deraina's lair   
  
Deraina had herself a good laugh at Anyanka's expression. It was as   
  
though nobody ever expected Willow to do anything violent. She decided   
  
to take pity on the two men trying to hold her back, they could hold   
  
on to their fragile egos another day. They would never be able to   
  
pull Willow off her, not while she was under Deraina's command. "It's   
  
good Willow, you may stop fighting and go back to normal." She smiled,   
  
and watched what would happen next. This was too much fun.   
  
Giles's place   
  
Willow stopped fighting immediately, and Angel and Xander pulled her   
  
off of something. She wondered why she wasn't on the couch anymore.   
  
She smiled uncertainly at Angel and Xander, who seemed to be holding   
  
on to her for the world. "Okay guys, you're hurting my arms now. Let   
  
me go." She wondered what was going on, maybe it was some sort of   
  
training activity. She must've blacked out again or something, because   
  
she had no memory of what was going on.   
  
"So you can go and attack Anya again! No way!" Xander yelled angrily,   
  
tightening his grip on her arm. Normally he wouldn't say that to his   
  
best friend, but seeing her beat Anya to the bloody pulp made him snap.   
  
Willow froze, wondering what on earth Xander was talking about.   
  
"What?" She asked, looking at Tara, her eyes full of confusion. Tara   
  
looked away from her and glanced at Anya. "I wouldn't do that!" Why   
  
would anyone accuse her of hurting someone- she wouldn't do that, not   
  
even to Anya.   
  
Anya groaned in pain, still laying on the floor. "You just did you   
  
bitch!" Max went next to Anya and offered to heal her wounds, and   
  
Anya gladly accepted the offer. Max left his silver hand print on her   
  
as he healed her, and Anya felt much better. She thanked him for his   
  
trouble and glared at Willow.  
  
Willow's eyes grew in horror as she saw Anya laying there on the   
  
ground. She couldn't have done that to her- not even if she wanted to!  
  
Buffy was the one with super strength, Willow just did the magic.   
  
Wesley glanced up from his book, his eyes grew in horror as he saw the   
  
fading mark on Willow's back. He flipped though the book he was   
  
reading, trying to prove himself wrong. He wanted to be wrong. Very   
  
badly.   
  
But he wasn't.   
  
"Willow- I believe you have the mark of Deraina."   
  
Sunnydale Cemetery   
  
"The moon is shining brightly upon me. Soon, it will be dark, and the   
  
sun will shine no more." A raven-haired woman whispered to her blonde   
  
companion.   
  
"That's right Drusilla- soon darkness will reign." The blonde agreed.   
  
She loved it when Drusilla had her visions, it always paid to have a   
  
psychic as a grandchilde. She'd have to remember to thank Angel about   
  
this later- she never appreciated Drusilla back in the good old days,   
  
but now she's been handy.   
  
Drusilla twirled under the moonlight, spreading her arms out as if she   
  
were a ballerina. "My Angel reigns here, Grandmother," she murmured,   
  
thinking of the time when she and Spike and Angelus were all together.   
  
It had been a fun time, but then Angel and Spike had to go all soft,   
  
and team up with the Slayer.   
  
Darla rolled her eyes, disgusted at the way those in her family had   
  
been behaving lately. The Master was probably looking up at them in   
  
repugnance from the pits of Hell, wondering how he helped create such   
  
beings that disgraced the line. She laughed at the expression on his   
  
face that she imagined him having. "Not for long." She smiled evilly.   
  
She knew Angel was going down, and coming right back where he belonged.   
  
With her.   
  
Drusilla nodded, looking up at the stars melancholically. "The pretty   
  
lawyers wanted us to come here and fight," she whispered sadly. "Why   
  
did we do so?"   
  
Darla sighed impatiently, sick of all the questions. She loved   
  
Drusilla and all, but she could get so damn annoying, Darla always had   
  
to repeat everything. "Because, Dru, Angel will be fighting- this is   
  
the deciding battle. We have to work on getting him to lose his soul."   
  
Drusilla breathed an unnecessary breath at the prospect. "Bring Daddy   
  
home." She giggled excitedly at the thought, of having her daddy back   
  
with her. Things were always so much more fun- he brought a darkness   
  
that neither she nor Darla quite had- a darkness that Spike never   
  
could have. Her sire was quite extraordinary.  
  
Darla smiled, knowing exactly how Drusilla felt. "Yes, and besides now   
  
you can talk to the stars and the moon without the buildings being in   
  
your way." Darla smirked, remembering the time Drusilla complained   
  
endlessly about them while they were in L.A.   
  
Drusilla pouted at the mention of the buildings. "Dreadful things-   
  
they were always trying to listen in to our conversation."   
  
Giles's place   
  
Willow sat down on the couch, with Xander and Angel standing guard   
  
around her warily. She was stunned by Wesley's news. She couldn't   
  
believe that Deraina had gotten to her. Now, her she was, well, her   
  
bitch. Wesley had explained that she wouldn't remember what happened,   
  
which would explain her forgetting the attack on Deraina. But Willow   
  
couldn't believe this was happening to her. It was hardly the first   
  
day on the job, and she was, if you thought about it technically,   
  
crossed over to the dark side. Her eyes teared up in frustration at   
  
not being able to do something more.   
  
Tara knelt in front of her on the couch and clasped Willow's hand.   
  
"Don't worry Will, we'll find a way to stop this," she smiled   
  
comfortingly. Willow managed a weak grin at her girlfriend, despite   
  
not being able to find a way to smile about this.   
  
"Thanks Tara. I- uh- I think I need to get some rest. Being knocked   
  
unconscious made me sleepy." Willow kissed Tara quickly to not worry   
  
her, and started up to her room.   
  
Maria watched her leave, and moved next to Michael. "Can you believe   
  
this? We're barely here, and all ready someone's- well, you know." She   
  
said nervously, wondering if perhaps Michael had been right to want to   
  
leave. "And she lives here, what do you think could happen to us if   
  
anyone evil decides to and they get a chance?" For the first time,   
  
Maria was getting really scared, it was like reality had sunk in.   
  
Michael sighed and rolled his eyes, not feeling much sympathy. He had   
  
tried to warn them this would happen, but everyone just thought this   
  
was going to be an easy ride. "This is why I wanted to leave in the   
  
first place." He looked at her accusingly. "But you wanted to stay."   
  
Too bad nobody listened to him earlier. Well he could say 'I told you   
  
so' when they all died.   
  
Maria groaned and copied his eye rolling. "Look Spaceboy, I know we're   
  
dating and all, but that doesn't mean I have to side with you on   
  
everything, because heaven knows you don't side with me on anything."   
  
She rolled her eyes again sarcastically; sometimes Michael could be so   
  
maddening.   
  
Michael shrugged, still bitter. "Whatever."   
  
Sunnydale Cemetery crypt   
  
Drusilla was pouting angrily in the corner. She didn't like this new   
  
girl, who called herself Katherine; she was mean and was very cross at   
  
Dru. Darla entered the room and sat next to Dru.   
  
"What's wrong Dru?" she asked, not really concerned. Drusilla told   
  
her. "Dru, honey, Katherine's here to help us get Angel back, just   
  
deal with her for a while, then we can kill her. She just has magic   
  
uses we don't have." Darla herself wasn't fond of Katherine, but   
  
Wolfram and Hart decided it was necessary to hire her and send her to   
  
live with Darla and Drusilla.   
  
Drusilla still pouted. "But she's quite mean to me, she doesn't like   
  
me. She likes you though."   
  
Darla patted her hand, not necessary for comfort, just to get Drusilla   
  
to shut up. "Just remember this is for 'Daddy'. Now, how would you   
  
like to go kill some Sunnydalians?" Darla was always up for a good   
  
kill, and she knew it would make Dru feel better.   
  
Drusilla smiled. "I would like that a lot." 


End file.
